Christ Jesus said, "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love." John 15:9; The Church of Christ, Scientist, is an evidence of God's love for us. Our continuing and deepening love of the Church of Christ, Scientist, is an evidence of our love for God, or Truth. And it is our love for the church that enables the church itself to continue in love.
To love the church spiritually and practically, each of us must first find Church in his own consciousness. We need to recognize what Church is from the standpoint of divine Mind, God, and to discern what Church is not. Church is the spiritual idea of Truth. Absolutely speaking, it embodies all that it needs for perfect functioning and full success. It is all-embracing as the expression of divine Love, on which it rests. Because God is, Church is; Truth and Church, the idea of Truth, coexist eternally. The real Church neither shrinks nor grows; its present wholeness unfolds endlessly. Church cannot be split into denominations, competing for converts and prestige. It is not endangered by materialism or marred by theological debates. It is unimpeded by changing social patterns and is inaccessible to human skepticism. As an idea in Mind, Church flourishes in an ideally hospitable environment, and is perfectly understood by Mind.
As church members we need to refresh ourselves constantly with the scientific view of Church. We need to share Mrs. Eddy's vision of Church in order to understand and promote in the most intelligent and fruitful way the organization that is its outcome. We must advance from a spiritual basis.
